Golden Lions wake up to finish off Chase, 32-20

Friday

Sep 20, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 20, 2013 at 11:19 PM

Alan Ford

Momentum changes make for a lot of fun for football fans.

Often that doesn’t do much for a coach’s blood pressure.

So opinions about the changing tides in Friday’s Chase-Shelby South Mountain Athletic Conference contest on Pearley Allen Field depended on your perspective. Yet in the end, good ol’ fashioned blocking, tackling and key efforts at crucial times made the difference in Shelby’s 32-20 victory over the visitors.

Consider that Shelby had a 19-0 lead late in the first quarter, but found itself in front only 22-20 heading to the final period. It took an 80-yard scoring drive by the Golden Lions early in the fourth period, capped by Jaquavis Brooks’ 21-yard touchdown run, to gave the host team control of the contest.

“Brooks really stepped up when Raekwon (Washington) went out,” said Shelby coach Lance Ware. “There’s not a lot of drop off when he comes in. They’re different type runners and he has very good vision when he runs.”

Brooks gave the Golden Lions (3-2, 2-0 SMAC) a lift with 117 yards rushing on the night. With Washington adding 72 more, plus the 248 provided by the arm of quarterback R.J. George, it seemed like Shelby was going to put it away early. But 110 yards in penalties – including a holding call early in the second period that took away a touchdown – opened the door for Chase to roar back.

“That was a big penalty on the screen where we could’ve gone up 25-6,” said Ware, “but we’ve got to learn to get over that. We played well in the first and fourth quarters, but not in the second and third. Chase played well and you have to give them credit.”

Washington opened the scoring with a 29-yard run, then caught a 72-yard scoring toss from George to make it 12-0. When Antwan Wright hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from George with 4:31 left in the opening period, it seemed a runaway.

But Chase got back into it as Josh Wright took a 32-yard pass from Tyrell Boykins with 14 seconds left in the first period. When Jordan O’Rourke hauled in a 46-yard pass from Boykins for another touchdown – after it bounced off the hands of a Shelby defender – it was 19-13. Luke Hayek’s 45-yard field goal with 26 seconds to go in the half pushed the Lions’ lead to 22-13.

Chase put together another scoring drive late in the third quarter – keyed by its inside-out option runs by Boykins and Wright. Boykins’ one-yard plunge with 1:02 on the clock made it 22-20. But Shelby went on its long scoring drive to push the lead back to nine.

“We had a big third-down play (in the drive),” Ware said. “We had a penalty and it was third-and-eight, and Antwan Wright made a big play on that pass. R.J. made a good throw and we got the first down. You have to make those kind of plays.”

Hayek capped the scoring with a 35-yard field goal and Shelby’s defense kept Chase at bay on the Trojans’ final two series of the contest.

Still going: Shelby pushed its all-time edge in the series to 47-0-1 versus Chase.

The Golden Lions have won 24 straight against Rutherford County competition, with the last loss coming in 2005 in the regular-season finale to East Rutherford.

All-purpose: Chase senior Jordan O’Rourke continued to shine as an all-around performer.

Whether punting, receiving (one TD), running the football, making tackles and being in pass coverage (one interception), the 6-1, 175-pounder was a big part of Chase’s rally from an early 19-0 deficit to trail only 22-20 entering the fourth quarter.